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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The 31th..

"Burpees/PullUps/Row"
21-15-9

Burpees
Pull Ups
Row (Calories)

Burpees are chest to deck at the bottom and full hip extension with arms overhead at the top. Row is for calories. 
Post time to comments.

The Triple Threat Abmat Challenge

Day 16 = 48
Buy in = 408

Monday, March 30, 2009

Marching out...

"Double Unders/KB's/Push Jerk"
4 Rounds
50 Double Unders
30 Kettlebell Swings 1.5/1 pood
10 Push Jerks 135/95

Jump and land with arms at full extension for Push Jerks.
Scales for the push jerk: 115/75, 95/65, 75/45
Post time to comments.

The Triple Threat Abmat Challenge

Day 15 = 45
Buy in = 360

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Shadow dancing..

Rest Day

The Triple Threat Abmat Challenge

Day 14 = 42
Buy in = 315

Saturday, March 28, 2009

I've got friends...

"Front Squats w/ a twist"

100 Front Squats 95/65lbs

Twist: The beginning of each minute you must do 5 burpees.

Post time to comments.

The Triple Threat Abmat Challenge

Day 13 = 39

Buy in = 273

Friday, March 27, 2009

10's..

"Pull Ups/Ring Dips"
10 Rounds
10 Pull Ups
10 Ring Dips

Chin over bar to full arm extension for pull ups. Shoulder below elbow on ring dips.

Post time to comments.

The Triple Threat Abmat Challenge

Day 12 = 36
Buy in = 234

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Sit on this..

"Sit Up Central"

50 Sit Ups
50 Squats
50 Sit Ups
50 Walking Lunges
50 Sit Ups
50 Burpees
50 Sit Ups

Post time to comments.  Full Range of Motion (ROM) required on Sit Ups, Squats, Lunges and Burpees.  Be wary of the arse berry.

The Triple Threat Abmat Challenge
Day 11 = 33
Buy in = 198

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Helen..

"Helen"
3 Rounds
400m
21 KB Swings 1.5/1 pood
12 Pull Ups

Post time to comments.

The Triple Threat Abmat Challenge
Day 10 = 30
Buy in = 165

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

10 what?

"Clean and Jerk your Balls"
10 Rounds
3 Squat Clean and Jerks 155/105lbs
15 Wall Ball 20/14lbs

Post time to comments.

The Triple Threat Abmat Challenge
Day 9 = 27
Buy in = 135

Monday, March 23, 2009

Pots and Pans..

"Deadlift/Burpees - '08 Games"
5 Rounds
5 Deadlifts 275/185lbs
10 Burpees

Scales are the following M/W: 250/160, 225/135, 185/105, 135/95
Post time to comments.


The Triple Threat Abmat Challenge

Day 8 = 24
Buy in = 108

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Sore...?

Rest Day

When dealing with muscle soreness and tightening, there are things you need to do to alleviate the pain, and gain back your flexibility, and things you need to avoid.

Using a 1-10 scale of things to do and not to do (10 = Absolutely Necessary! and 1 = Are you kidding me?)

1 = Popping pills - how dare you! Aleve this..
1 = Lay around all day and do nothing - after you've crossfitted? I don't even know who you are anymore!
2-7 = Need I say more?!
8 = HOT and COLD = At the end of your shower, use between 5-7 minutes (1 min for each temp) to run through a cycle of cold, hot, cold, hot, cold, hot, cold. This shocks your system, thereby jump starting your immune system and sending it into overdrive. Start out with smaller increments of time to get used to the 'shock.'
8 = Playing a sport -Keeping active will stretch your muscles and allow ample blood flow to your muscles for quicker repair.
8 = Repeat movements - Going through the same exercises you just had in the workout will stretch those tight muscles out (on a much smaller scale)- don't fight it, it works!
9 = Eating properly - Giving your body the essential nutrients it needs post-wod will save you days in muscle repair (soreness). Get some extra carbs in after a wod (carb loading) paired with a smaller portion of proteins and fats.
9 = Drink plenty of water - Your body needs extra fluid to handle the stress you put your muscles through, without this - can you say Rhabdo?
10 = Trigger point - Right after a workout and until your next workout. If you don't know what this is by now, you've suffered long enough - just ask!

Do you have any helpful ways to alleviate muscle soreness?
Post your thoughts to comments.

The Triple Threat Abmat Challenge
Day 7 - 21
Buy in - 84

Saturday, March 21, 2009

We're running in this..

"Thruster/Run/BJ/Burp"
21-15-9

Thrusters
200m Run
Box Jumps 20"
200m Run
Burpees
200m Run


Complete 21 Thrusters, run, 21 Box Jumps, run, 21 Burpees, run. Then 15's and 9's the same way. Never mind the 32 degree weather - get out there and soak up some CrossFit.

Triple Threat Abmat Challenge
Day 6 - 18
Buy in - 63

Friday, March 20, 2009

Spring..?

"Chelsea"
30 min/AMRAP (one for every minute)
5 Pull Ups
10 Push Ups
15 Squats

Every minute on the minute complete one round. Once you cannot complete the round in the minute given, you are finished.
Goal: Make it to 30 minutes!
Post number of rounds to comments.

Triple Threat Abmat Challenge
Day 5 = 15
Buy in = 45

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Shoulders anyone?

"Wall Ball/Double Unders/Burpees"

40 Wall Ball 20/14lb
40 Double Unders
40 Burpees
30 Wall Ball
30 Double Unders
30 Burpees
20 Wall Ball
20 Double Unders
20 Burpees
10 Wall Ball
10 Double Unders
10 Burpees
Post time to comments.

Triple Threat Abmat Challenge
Day 4 - 12
Buy in - 30

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Anniversary..

"Heavy Deadlifts"
3-3-3-3-3

Work your way up to 5 solid 'working sets' of 3.  If you have anything left after your last set, you didn't go hard enough.
Post loads to comments.

Mark, Brett and Nick on his first day.

Brett's one year anniversary of CrossFit at Off The Grid.
He was our first client and has made tremendous gains in every facet of CrossFit.  He is now Level 1 Certified and looking to add to his fitness resume a certification in CrossFit Running and Endurance in April.  As we stated earlier, Brett is a great addition to the OTG family and we probably would have never met him if it wasn't for CrossFit.  

Here's Brett's OTG Testimonial:

This month makes it one year that I've been training Crossfit. Looking back on how far I have come in this short year, I realize I've made immense gains but still have much I would like to accomplish. I just want to share a bit about how I got involved with Crossfit and what its done 
for me. It was late 2007 / early 2008 when I was reading through Navyseals.com (becoming a SEAL has been a dream of mine for years) that I ran across a fitness article talking about this thing called
 Crossfit. It was being used by military, law enforcement, and Navy Seals in particular. Crossfit...hmm if Navy SEALs are using it, I outta check it out. From there I found crossfit.com and started watching the videos: Greg A's JI Jane, Rob Miller's Jason, OPT's Helen, Pat Barber's Dianne, etc. These guys along with the likes of Speal, Brendan Gillian were so impressive with their ability to 
do these workouts with weights, their own bodyweight, or a combination and do it with an intensity I hadn't seen before. I wanted to be like those guys and train like them too! Unfortunately there were no affiliate gyms near by. Damn.   Wilmington and Philly were just too far away.

Enter Crossfit Off the Grid... Another couple months went by. I read another Crossfit article entitled "God's Workout" which begins "The superfit walk among us." That pretty much says it all.  I did another search and found a gym in Williamstown, just down the road from where I grew up. I couldn't have gotten any luckier! The trainers were super excited about Crossfit and
 so was I. The workouts were awesome and Nick and Mark couldn't have been any cooler. I felt right at home and since then I havn't looked back. Constantly varied functional movements are at the heart of Crossfit programming with increasing work capacity as the goal. The training and being involved in the Crossfit community has changed the way I think about health, fitness, nutrition and has made me fitter, stronger, and healthier.  Just over a year ago at about 190lbs I was following a "bodybuilders" lifting and eating routine. Lots of drinking protein shakes, weight gainer, and eating protein bars were the way to fuel my training.  I wanted to get BIG and strong.  Typical workouts were back/bis, chest/tris, legs, shoulders/calves.  Much different from the Crossfit methodology of training the body as a whole.  

My diet also had a total transformation.  I was absorbing as much information as I could about the Zone and started making these eating habits my own.  Since then I've tried to adapt as much paleo into my diet as possible.  I'm now 173lbs and doing somewhere between 17-19 blocks a day with 3x fat (if I were to do true paleo I would need to cut out milk, cottage cheesepeanut butter and cashews). About a quarter of those carb blocks I replace with extra fat, and my PWO meal is usually a bit on the carb high side. 
I look forward to even more PR's this coming year and absolutely cannot wait for the new facility.

The Triple Threat Abmat Challenge
Day 3 - 9
Buy In - 18

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Row too..

"Angie-Row"

Row 2k
100 Push Ups
100 Sit Ups
100 Squats
Complete each in order.

Post time to comments.

The Triple Threat Abmat Challenge
Day 2 - 6
Buy In - 9

Monday, March 16, 2009

The Triple Threat Abmat Challenge..

Bottom Right - Check Crossfit.com for larger pic
Congratulations to Stacey and Tiffany on getting their Level 1 CrossFit Certification!!

"Unbroken"
7 Rounds

4 Squat Cleans 135/95lbs (scaled 95/65lbs or 65/35lbs)
5 Pull Ups C2B/Chin over
6 Box Jumps 24"
7 Kettlebell Swings 2 pood/1.5 pood

Each exercise is to be done without fractioning.
Squat clean - bar is only allowed to touch the ground - you may rest w/ the bar on your shoulders.
Pull Ups - you may rest in the hang position
Box Jumps - jump as soon as your feet touch the ground - there's no rest.
KB Swings - there is no rest for KB Swings.
If you do not finish the number of reps for that exercise, you must start back from the beginning of the exercise until you complete the set without fractioning. i.e. I finish 4 of the 5 pull ups in round 6 and fall off. I need to start back at zero for the pull ups for round 5.
Post time to comments.

Today is the first day of 60 for 'The Triple Threat Abmat Challenge.'

Abmat Sit Ups are to be done using an abmat to support your lower back while going through the eccentric(extension of the muscle- elongating) and concentric(contraction of the muscle - shortening) motion of a sit up. A full range Abmat Sit Up consists of:

1) The feet - Must be sole to sole throughout movement
2) The arms - Can be in any position throughout movement (can be tight to body, along side body, above the head, on shoulders, etc...)
3) The top - An upright position is being perpendicular to the ground
4) The bottom - A release of the shoulder blades around the abmat to the floor.
5) The cheat - If your butt leaves the floor at any time during the sit up, it does not count. This allows for momentum. We want a strict abmat sit up thereby recruiting every muscle possible in your midsection to control both eccentric and concentric motions.
6) The Speed - Can be done at any speed as long as the above criteria are met.

The Triple Threat Abmat Challenge
Day 1 - 3
Buy In - 3

Sunday, March 15, 2009

The beginning..

Rest Day!

We are going to have more challenges coming soon. Some may reflect a particular workout and your progress over a period of time. What workout would you like to make an 8 week challenge out of, to try and improve your time?
It would consist of any current scale or non-scale that you currently have for it. For instance, if we chose 'Helen' (3 Rounds of 400m Run/21 KB Swings/12Pullups) as the 8 week Challenge, we would get everyone's current time on one day. Then, 8 weeks later give out Ca$h and prizes to the most improved athlete for their scaled group!
All 'WOD' challenges would have a registering fee of a yet to be determined cash amount where most of that fee would go to the winners in each scaled/non-scaled group and an overall winner with the best time.
EX: Person A - has a current time of 9:46 and has to use the red band for pull ups but can do the Rx'd weight for KB's. They are in a scaled group for pull ups and can not leave this group. We will then compare their new time to their old time and the largest difference in that group will win.
Post questions and thoughts to comments.

The re-emergence of...

"Burpees/Pull-Ups"
10-1/1-10
A lovely Saturday WOD. The workout is an up and down ladder. 10 Burps, 1 Pull up, 9 Burps, 2 Pull ups....1Burp, 10 Pull ups. Burpees start from standing postition to chest and thighs to the floor then up to a jump with a clap and full extension of the hips. Pull Ups are done with arms at full extension to chin over bar. Looks can be deceiving.

Post time to comments

Friday, March 13, 2009

Fight Gone Bad..!

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating for a total of 3 rounds.
The stations are:

1) Wall-ball: 20 pound ball, 10 ft target. (Reps)
2) Sumo deadlift high-pull: 75 pounds (Reps)
3) Box Jump: 20" box (Reps)
4) Push-press: 75 pounds (Reps)
5) Row: calories (Calories)

The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of "rotate," the athlete/s must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.
Post totals to comments.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Where's the rest...

"Tabata - where's the rest?"
Tabata Squats (bottom to bottom)
Tabata Push Ups (plank to plank)

Complete 8 intervals of 20 sec of work followed by 10 sec of rest, counting the number of reps completed for each 20 sec interval. There is a one minute rest between the squats and the push ups. The twist: The 10 sec rest for the squat is at the bottom, and the 10sec rest for the push ups is in the plank position. The score for each exercise is the least amount of reps completed in an interval. Total score is the sum of both scores for each exercise.

Post each score and Total scores to comments.

"The Station"
by Robert J. Hastings

Tucked away in our subconcious minds is an idyllic vision in which we see ourselves on a long journey that spans an entire continent. We're traveling by train and, from the windows, we drink in the passing scenes of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at crossings, of cattle grazing in distant pastures, of smoke pouring from power plants, of row upon row of cotton and corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of city skylines and village halls.

But uppermost in our concious minds is our final destination--for at a certain hour and on a given day, our train will finally pull into the Station with bells ringing, flags waving, and bands playing. And once that day comes, so many wonderful dreams will come true. So restlessly, we pace the aisles and count the miles, peering ahead, waiting, waiting, waiting for the Station.

"Yes, when we reach the Station, that will bit it!" we promise ourselves. "When we're eighteen...win that promotion...put the last kid through college...buy that 450SL Mercedes-Benz...have a nest egg for retirement!"

From that day on we will all live happily ever after.

Sooner or later, however, we must realize there is no Station in this life, no one earthly place to arrive at once and for all. The journey is the joy. The Station is an illusion--it constantly out distances us. Yesterday's a memory, tomorrow belongs to the Universe. Yesterday's a fading sunset, tomorrow's a faint sunrise. Only today is there light enough to love and live.

So, gently close the door on yesterday and throw away the key. It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad, but rather regret over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who would rob us of today.

"Relish the moment" is a good motto.

So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, swim more rivers, climb more mountains, kiss more babies, count more stars. Laugh more and cry less. Go barefoot oftener. Eat more ice cream. Ride more merry-go-rounds. Watch more sunsets. Life must be lived as we go along. The Station will come soon enough.

Post thoughts to comments.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Summer ready..

Complete as many rounds as you can in thirty minutes of:
5 pull-ups
5 ring dips
15 Sit-ups
Post rounds completed to comments.

With this little break in the weather, has anyone been thinking about how nice it's going to be working out in the spring and summer? I love lifting outside and am looking forward to doing more of it. Where else can you lift outside, throw weights, compete against others (and yourself), and blast your music all while having someone in your ear motivating and fixing form?
I'll answer for you - NO WHERE!

Yeah! - No burpees!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Burpee Challenge Finale..


"Isabel"
For time:
30 Snatch
135/95lbs

Pulling from the ground to overhead.
Post time to comments.

Pic to the right: Mark snatches 115lb.
Today the 100 Day Burpee Challenge comes to a close, with an astounding total of 5,050 burpees.

Congratulations to Nick, Eric, Tiffany, and Bobby O for completing what the rest of the gym could not. It's easy to say, "I could've done it," but as we know, actions speak louder than words. Finishing a 3 month challenge takes perseverance, desire to strive beyond the norm, and mental fortitude. Those of you who did not finish will get another chance before the year is up. See what you're made of and attack it with the same drive you would a WOD.

Doing burpees everyday,(probably the most dreaded exercise in our gym), has made them much more tolerable than before. The next time they come up in a WOD, you'll sigh with grief, while we sigh with relief.
Bring on the Triple Threat Abmat Challenge! Starts on March 16th and runs for 60 days!

100 Day Burpee Challenge
Day 100 - 100
Buy in - 5,050 (Good Luck!)

Monday, March 9, 2009

Bootiful..

"Run/Squat"
4 Rounds
400m Run
50 Squats

Post time to comments.

The Burpee Challenge is in it's last 2 days. Anyone regret not finishing?
The Triple Threat Abmat Challenge gets under way on Monday the 16th. Be sure to pay off your abmat by friday if you haven't done so already.

Get creative and think about what your would challenge be? Give number of days and movement(s). [Remember: The challenge should be something you're not great at (or something you want to work on) and can be done at home.]

Triple Threat Abmat Challenge is 60 days of sit ups, 3 times the day. Every day you are increasing by 3 reps until day 60. Day 1 = 3, Day 2 = 6, ...Day 60 = 180. A full range Abmat sit up is required. Shoulders touch the ground at the bottom, perpendicular to the ground at the top, and feet are sole to sole for each rep.

100 Day Burpee Challenge
Day 99 - 99
Buy in - 4950

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Break..

REST DAY

If we are pushing ourselves in each workout or lift, we all look forward to a good rest day. Sometimes they don't come soon enough. A day or two of recovery is an absolute necessity if you plan on being recharged for the next few workouts. So, make it a priority to let your body rest just as you would make it a priority to have it be active.

do you rest? Do you play a sport to stay active? Do you 'veg' out on the couch all day? Play with your kids? Post your thoughts to comments and enjoy your day of rest.


100 Day Burpee Challenge
Day 98 - 98
Buy in - 4,851

Saturday, March 7, 2009

PR's

"Jackie"

For time:
Row 1000m
50 Thrusters 45/35lb
30 Pull Ups

Post time to comments.

100 Day Burpee Challenge

Day 97 - 97
Buy in - 4,753

CrossFit is a results based fitness regimen that is quantifiable. Which means if you do CrossFit properly (Consistent workouts paired with proper nutrition) you will always see measurable improvement. When we push ourselves beyond our current tolerance levels of comfort/pain amazing things happen. Forcing yourself into this realm will allow you to see quicker results in your health, your recovery and your ability to perform in future WOD's.

PR'ing (PR - Personal Record) is something we strive to do for every workout that we have already done. You're going to start seeing a lot more WOD's that you have already done. This will allow us and you to compare your current fitness level to what you had previously for the workout.

What workout would you like to see come up again and why?
Post your thoughts to comments.

This is a benchmark WOD, 'Fran,' that Mark did last year on 3/5/08. He has PR'd this every time he's attempted it. It should be interesting to see how much he has improved in one year. He currently (August 19,2008) has a 'Fran' time of 4:57.


Friday, March 6, 2009

Body strength..

"Helen-ish"
3 Rounds
400m Run
21 K2E
12 SDHP 95/65lbs

K2E - Knees to Elbows (without swinging)
SDHP - Sumo Deadlift High Pull

Post time to comments.

100 Day Burpee Challenge
Day 96 - 96
Buy in - 4656

What gymnastics or body weight movement do you want to learn or perfect? Is it the Handstand, Handstand Push-Up on parallettes, Muscle-Up, Front Planche, Front/Back Lever, Front/Back Flip, Tumbling, One Arm Pull-Up, Human Flag, L-sit, etc...
Post your thoughts to comments.



The standing back flip and tumbling have always been two I would love to learn.


Watching this video should help motivate you to pursue your potential. I am now searching for ways to practice back flips - without killing myself.


Thursday, March 5, 2009

Lift this..


"Justin"

Double Unders/Push Press (45/35lbs)

50-40-30-20-10

Complete each exercise for 50 then 40, etc..(Focus on good form throughout Push Press)

Post time to comments.

100 Day Burpee Challenge

Day 95 - 95
Buy in - 4,560

Still in the hunt: Nick, Eric, Tiffany and Bobby O
Almost finished!

Eric motivates Dom through his last round

What is your favorite lift in CrossFit and why? The clean? The Jerk? The Deadlift? etc....
Post thoughts to comments.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Get some...

Sarah, Tim and Courtney demonstrate the LuNgE.

"Lunge/Pull/Sit"

Walking lunge 100 ft.
21Pull-ups
21 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
18 Pull-ups
18 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
15 Pull-ups
15 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
12 Pull-ups
12 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
9 Pull-ups
9 Sit-ups
Walking Lunge 100 ft.
6 Pull-ups
6 Sit-ups

Post time to comments.

100 Day Burpee Challenge

Day 94 - 94
Buy in - 4465

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

3 Minutes of work can't be that hard...

"The CHIEF"

5x 3 minute rounds; 1 min rest b/t rounds;

power clean - 135/95lbs
6 push ups
9 squats

record total rounds for every 3 minute section, including fractionspost total number of rounds to comments
chest to deck on push ups, hips below knee on squats, hips at full extension at top of power clean before bar can be lowered
i.e. score = 7 rds + 6.3 rds + 6 rds + 6 rds + 6 rds = 31.3 rds as score)

100 Day Burpee Challenge

93 - 93
Buy in - 4371

Monday, March 2, 2009

CrossFit OTG makes an impact

Take a look through the eyes of a current CrossFit OTG client and how CrossFit changed her perception of working out.




Leanna with the Owners of CrossFit OTG: Nick and Mark

Leanna's Testimonial:


I guess my story isn’t unlike most other peoples’. For 13 years I went to a regular gym, ran on the treadmill for 30 mins, lifted some weights, and was completely bored out of my mind. Like most people I lost enthusiasm and more than anything lacked any real results. I heard about Crossfit, but was really skeptical about when they did cardio and why they didn’t do any traditional weight lifting. But my boredom at the gym outweighed my concerns, so with a friend we started searching the internet for a Crossfit near us. We found OTG and off we were to our 1 on 1 session. That was the day that changed my fitness life completely around. I woke up the next day and have never been so sore. I also had never been so excited to go back for more!

I have been doing Crossfit for 8 months and I can honestly say that I will never go back to a regular gym. I have never experienced results the way I have with Crossfit. I am stronger and more fit then I have ever been before in my life.

The workouts challenge you in ways I can’t describe. Besides the workouts being physically challenging you are mentally challenged as well. There are plenty of days that I think to myself ‘How the heck am I going to finish this workout?!’.


Not enough great things can be said about the trainers at OTG because they encourage you and challenge you to leave it all on the table. You have such a sense of accomplishment when you actually finish! I could write for hours about what Crossfit has done for me, but you really need to find out for yourself. One thing is for sure, you will push yourself beyond limits you didn’t even know you had and are guaranteed to feel better about yourself in ways you could have never imagined.


Leanna exemplifies CrossFit through her determination and character. We are happy to have such a terrific person be a part of our gym.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

SNOW!

NO CLASSES TOMORROW- CrossFit OTG classes will resume Tuesday!

Enjoy the snow!

This is my brother Tony, when he was snowboarding in Europe

a few years back. Looks like he's taking a break - like the rest of us today!